Civil Traffic Cases

When you receive a citation that only contains civil traffic offenses, you are afforded different options to resolve the
charges. From the date you receive your violation, it can take up to 7-10 working days for the citation to be entered
into our system. After it is in the system, you can choose one of the options below or you may appear on or before
the date and time shown on your civil traffic complaint to resolve your case.

Pay the Citation

Once you have made a plea or have been found guilty or responsible of a violation, you have an obligation to pay your fines
and fees. on the date of sentencing. When you plead "Guilty" or "No Contest" to criminal violations or "Responsible"
in civil matters charged against you, all fines and fees are expected to be paid in full. You can refer to the
Bond Card(PDF) for details on what the sanction amount will be.

If you are financially unable to meet your court ordered obligation on the day of sentencing, you may be placed on a payment
contract. You can apply for the payment contract by completing an application and sending it back to the court
for determination. There may be additional fees added to the total amount owed on the payment contract as follows:

Process to Reduce or Suspend Fines

For some civil traffic charges, the charge may be dismissed or the fines may be reduced or suspended when proof is filed
and accepted by the Court. See the categories below for more information. You will need to send the proof to the
Court via mail, fax or as an email attachment, or you can bring the proof in person during the Court's walk-in hours.

Please include your case or complaint number and a current address with your correspondence. When submitting proof,
please send a copy and not your original. The Court does not mail back the proof after it is received.

Please refer to the contact and hours information on this page on how to submit proof.

Once the Court receives the proof, it may take 4-5 working days for the Court to process and mail a decision back to
you. You will be mailed a Court Balance Due Date with a 30-day deadline for paying the fine assessed. The Court Balance
Due Date comes with a $20 time payment fee that will be added to your case balance. To avoid paying the time payment
fee, you may post the fine amount as bond when you mail in your proof. You can post the bond by mailing the Court
a check for the fine amount. Once a fine is assessed, the bond will be posted to your case and any remaining balance
will be refunded to you within 2 weeks. If no fine is assessed and you have posted a bond, the full bond will be
refunded back to you within 2 weeks.

If you mail, fax, or email in your proof, please read if the Court decides to reduce the fine section below for more information
on whether you want to post bond to avoid a possible $20 time payment fee.

If the Court decides to suspend or reduce the fine, and you have posted a bond, the bond will be posted to your case and
any remaining balance will be refunded to you within 2 weeks.

If the Court decides to dismiss the charge, and you have posted a bond, the bond will be refunded to you in full within 2
weeks.

Insurance Violations

Some insurance charges may be dismissed by providing valid proof of an insurance policy to the court. The policy must cover
the vehicle in question on the date and time of the alleged violation.
Refer to
Bond Card(PDF) for additional information.

Registration Violations

If this charge is for no vehicle registration, the fine can be reduced if you provide a valid copy of the vehicle registration.

Equipment Violations

If the charge is for equipment or mechanical violation, proof of correction may suspend the fine if receipt of repair or
purchase are provided to the court.

Attend Defensive Driving School (DDS)

If you are eligible, you may also attend defensive driving class. Please refer to our
DDS information page for terms and conditions.

Request a Hearing

If you believe you are not responsible for any of the cited violations, you may request the Court to set a date for a civil
traffic hearing. The request can be made in person, by mail, fax, email, or
online motion.

If you are unable to attend a civil traffic hearing in person, you may request a documentary hearing. A documentary
hearing is where you submit your testimony in writing to the court. You must show why attending a civil traffic
hearing would cause a hardship.
Documentary Hearing Request and Waiver

It is the defendant's responsibility to follow up with the Court to ensure that the payment or correspondence was received
by the Court and that all charges have been resolved on or before the arraignment date.

Request a Court Date Extension

If you are unable to resolve your case on or before the court date given to you by the officer, you may request a continuance
by completing a motion to continue or appearing at the Scottsdale City Court.
A motion to continue can be filed in person, by mail, fax or email, and the Court must receive the completed motion
prior to the court date.

PLEASE NOTE: It is the defendant's responsibility to follow up with the Court to ensure that the payment or correspondence
sent via mail was received by the Court and that all charges have been resolved on or before the arraignment date.